Haynes walking a tightrope

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, May 4, 1999

Two starts ago, in Baltimore, he walked seven men in six innings, as good a reason as any why he lost. The right-hander was much better his last time out, allowing Cleveland only four hits and two runs in seven innings. But his two-out walk of Roberto Alomar in the third enabled Manny Ramirez to come to the plate, and the right fielder punished Haynes, slamming a two-run home run.

Monday at the Coliseum, Haynes walked two men in the opening inning and both came across as Boston scored five times. Then he walked another man in the two-run second. He scored, too.

Haynes was done after 3-7/8 innings, having allowed eight runs, seven hits, and four walks. After walking seven men in his first three starts, he now has walked 15 in his last three.

"I'm trying to make too good of a pitch, instead of just trying to make the pitch I want to make," Haynes said. "I think I try to make it better than it needs to be and end up working the count back to 3-and-2 or getting behind."

An 11-game winner last year, Haynes was lucky to avoid dropping to 1-5 this season.

"I'm a little concerned," manager Art Howe said. "He's got too good stuff to not get further into the game." OCAL ANGLE: Creighton Gubanich, who hit a first-inning grand slam for Boston, was in the A's organization until 1997. Drafted in the sixth round in 1991, the catcher was playing for Triple-A Edmonton in '97, then was traded twice in that season, to the Milwaukee Brewers organization and on to Colorado's Triple-A team in Colorado Springs.

The 27-year-old Gubanich signed as a free agent with Boston this winter and started the season at Triple-A Pawtucket. He was only in Oakland because Scott Hatteberg is on the disabled list.

The grand slam was even more memorable because it was Gubanich's first big-league hit, the fourth time in big-league history that's happened. The last time it did was Sept. 19, 1982, when Seattle's Orlando Mercado hit one off Texas' Steve Comer.

ETC.: Mike Oquist had his swollen right knee drained again Monday, and he has improved enough there no longer is a question whether he'll be able to make his start Tuesday night in Toronto, where the A's open a three-game series. . . . The A's bullpen outpitched Boston's, as good a reason as any the rally was possible. Brad Rigby ate up three innings, allowing three hits and a couple of runs. Tim Worrell pitched three more, giving up two hits and a run. And T.J Mathews worked a perfect 10th to get the victory. . . . Oakland's biggest comeback was on June 18, 1993, when they rallied from an 8-0 deficit to defeat Kansas City, 10-9. . . . A's pinch hitters went 2-for-3 in the eighth inning and are batting a major-league-leading .500 (9-for-18) this season.&lt;